Current lacrosse heads typically include an open frame with a base having a concave interior surface, a pair of sidewalls that diverge from the base, and a lip that interconnects the sidewalls remotely to the base. Openings or other means are formed through the frame for securing a lacrosse net around the back side of the frame, leaving the opposing front side for receiving lacrosse balls.
A frequent problem which occurs with lacrosse heads is the wearing of the laces. During play, the lip portion of the head comes in contact with the ground when scooping up the ball from the ground, causing the laces to wear out. U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,117, issued Nov. 9, 1982, to Deutsch, describes a lacrosse head which provides pairs of raised ridges along the outer surface of the lip. Each pair of raised ridges extends from opposed sides of circular shaped openings to accommodate the lacings and protect the lacings from abrasive contact with the ground. The lace holes disclosed in Deutsch are circular, which can cause difficulty in stinging flat rectangular laces or produces a too loosely strung web. Additionally, Deutsch does not address the problem of lace wear resulting from contact of the inner surface of the lip with the lacrosse ball.
Another concern of lacrosse players is the facility of the lacrosse head to assist in retention of the ball therein, particularly when running or being checked. Frames of lacrosse sticks are commonly made of plastic to lighten the weight of the frame. Plastic frames can cause a loss of rigidity when it comes to ball retention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,372 issued Jan. 14, 1992, to Brine III et al, discloses a lacrosse stick head with a pair of elongated ribs disposed proximate the upper edges of the sidewalls and extending towards each other in a plane slightly overlying the ball pocket. Although these ribs are said to facilitate easier retention of a ball in the netting, projection of the ribs normal to the interior of the head does little to control the bounce of the ball into the pocket because of the very slight overlap of the ribs with respect to the pocket.
Additionally, since Brine III's ribs are continuous and extend along virtually the entire length of the sidewall, these lacrosse heads require extra material for the ribs, adding to the weight and cost of the lacrosse head. It is thus a problem to design a ball retention apparatus that is both light weight and cost effective and that does not compromise ball retention. It is desirable to configure a rib which will direct the ball towards the center of the pocket for better retention when the player is running or being checked and also to place the ball in a better position for shooting the ball.